I'm so sorry that you lost your beloved pet. After a dental bacteria can be released into the bloodstream and go to the heart. Did they check bloodwork before they did the dental? Some pets react to anesthesia also. Were any vaccines given with the dental? I've seen pets go into shock from receiving vaccines and need immediate care. There are many things that could've caused your pets death. Did your veterinarian give you any answers?

I am sorry for you loss, knowing what a toll this takes on you. My 8 yr. old German shepherd died on Monday, January 19, 2008 from overdose of anesthesia.I would never again allow any future dog I may own to go under anesthesia for teeth cleaning. I purchased him at age 3 for protection. My dog had his teeth cleaned with this same vet before. Fargo had all the pre-blood work that morning and last week when we took him in for consultation our vet commented his heart beat was slow, although he was excited showing he was in great heart health. Here is the story the vet told us. He gave him the minimal amount of pre-meds and since he was not groggy enough, he put the mask on him for a few seconds. Immediately, he saw his chest pound once, then his heart stop, this happened again, then he went into cardiac arrest-meaning his heart rate accelerated, then stopped for good. He then gave Fargo epinephrine and some other injection into his iv. He did this again, as there was no response. He then did palpations working on him for a total of 20 minutes. He was gone. I am heartbroken and angry at the vet and will never put another pet through that at such great risk of death. There are alternatives to surgery that I am now aware of just by doing a couple searches on the internet. I only wish I would have known of them prior to this. The number of dogs dying from overdose of anesthesia is 1 in 400 and can be as high as 1 in 200. For all of you who were 'lucky' enough your dog survived anesthesia, I would hope alternatives to anesthesia for teeth cleaning are something you would look into. Good oral health is extremely important. As for me, as I stated earlier, I will never put any future dog I may own at such high risk of death for teeth cleaning. Life or death situations for dogs=anesthesia and nothing else. Thank you for taking time to read my story as I continue to grieve losing my absolute best friend.